Trump says Venezuelan jets will be “shooted down” if they endanger U.S. ships

President Donald Trump warned that if Venezuelan jets fly over U.S. Navy ships and “put us in a dangerous position, they will be shot down.”

U.S. officials told BBC’s U.S. partner CBS News that his warning comes after Venezuela issued a warning for the second time in South America that was near a U.S. ship.

The report happened after the U.S. strike on “Venezuelan drug-carrying ship” that the gang killed 11 people.

President Nicolás Maduro said the U.S. allegations about Venezuela are incorrect and the differences between the two countries cannot justify “military conflict.”

He added: “Venezuela has always been willing to talk, have a dialogue, but we ask for respect.”

Trump said Venezuela would be in “trouble” when Oval Office reporters asked what would happen if Venezuelan jets flew over U.S. ships again.

Trump told his general to stand beside him and that if the situation escalates, he can do whatever he wants.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has steadily stepped up his anti-drug trafficking efforts in Latin America.

Maduro accused the United States of seeking to “change the regime through military threats.”

When asked about the comments, Trump said “we’re not talking about this” but mentioned what he called “very weird election” in Venezuela. Maduro was sworn in in January After a controversial election.

Trump went on to say that Venezuela’s “drugs are pouring into the United States” and members of Tren de Aragua, a gang that was banned from being a U.S. terrorist group, live in the United States.

The U.S. military has moved into forces in the southern Caribbean, including the deployment of other naval vessels and thousands of U.S. Marines and sailors to stop the flow of drugs.

The White House said Friday that the United States will send 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico.

Asked about accumulating military assets in the Caribbean, Trump said: “I think it’s powerful. We’re very strong about drugs. We don’t want drugs to kill our people.”

Trump is a long-time critic of Maduro. US President Double the reward To get the Venezuelan leader arrested to information of $50 million (£37.2 million) in August, he was accused of being “one of the world’s largest Nalco traffickers”.

During Trump’s first term, the U.S. government accused Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials of committing various crimes, including Nalco terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking.

Maduro had previously rejected the US’s claims.